Thursday, September 23, 2004

I guess I am observing that the shul and the shteeble respect the Torah differently. The shul stands for an open aron, and wouldn't dream of sitting with their backs to the arc. The shteeble stays seated when the aron is open if the Torah won't be moved, and sometimes their backs even face the aron; instead they show their respect for the Torah, in part, through their clothing. (I don't mean simply that they dress acording to the law; I mean that they insists on hats, or white shirts, and, in some cases, fur hats and frock coats.)

Of course the shul thinks the seating habits in the shteeble are disrespectful, and the shteeble thinks the clothing people wear to shul is a disgrace, but that's a problem I can't solve with a blog. Unfortunately.